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Thomas Bracken
Thomas Bracken (21 December 1843 - 16 February 1898) was a 19th-century New Zealand poet. He wrote "God Defend New Zealand", 1 of the 2 national anthems of New Zealand, and was the earliest person to publish the phrase "God's Own Country" as applied to New Zealand.Percival Serle, Bracken, Thomas (1843-1898), Dictionary of Australian Biography, Project Gutenberg Australia. Web, Mar. 19, 2014. Life Youth Bracken was born at Clones, co. Monaghan, Ireland. His mother died when he was an infant and his father when he was 10 years old. He was sent to Australia at age 12 to join his uncle, John Kiernan, at Geelong, Victoria. Bracken was apprenticed to a pharmacist, but moved around to work on farms as a shearer and drover, and for a time was a gold fossicker and store keeper. At that time he began writing tales about the activities of the diggers involved in the goldrush, and about stock men and sheep men. Move to New Zealand and writing career In early 1869 at the age of 25, Bracken moved to Dunedin in New Zealand, where a volume containing a selection of poems he had written in Australia was published. While working as a shearer and at various odd jobs, he carried on writing, and published a small book of verses, Flights among the Flax. This was noticed in literary circles, and he won the Otago Caledonian Society’s prize for poetry. Determined to enter journalism, Bracken took a staff position on the Otago Guardian (and also wrote for The New Zealand Tablet and the Morning Herald). While at the Guardian he met John Bathgate who soon after, in 1875, established the Saturday Advertiser 'to foster a national spirit in New Zealand and encourage colonial literature'. Bracken became editor of the Advertiser and immediately began to encourage local writers. Talented contributors were attracted, and the Advertiser’s circulation reached 7000 copies, which was a notable achievement for that era. Encouraged by this literary and commercial success, Bracken contributed some of his own satire, humor and verse, including God Defend New Zealand (published in 1876), which was widely admired and became the national anthem He wrote Not Understood in 1879. Although he often used the pseudonyms Paddy Murphy and Didymus, the prolific works under his own name soon became published worldwide and he became famous throughout Australia and New Zealand. Later publications of his works in bound editions included Flowers of the Freeland, Behind the Tomb and Other Poems, The Land of the Maori and the Moa, Musings in Maoriland and Lays and Lyrics: God’s Own Country, and other poems. A supporter of the egalitarian policies of Governor Sir George Grey, Bracken championed sovereignty for the native Māori people, and later criticised the government for what he saw to be breaches of its obligations to the Treaty of Waitangi. He had arrived in New Zealand when colonial troops were engaged in war with Chief Te Kooti who went into battle under his own distinctive flag. It had 3 symbols which some claim were meant to signify stars. Bracken’s national anthem asks God to "guard Pacific’s triple star" and some historians have reasoned that refers to Te Kooti's flag and is his oblique support for Māori. It has also been suggested that "Pacific’s triple star" simply means the 3 main islands of New Zealand -- Northern, Middle, and Stewart as they were referred to at that time. Bracken never explained what he meant, so there is no definitive clarification today. (There have been suggestions that Bracken was referring to Alpha Centauri, the very bright triple star in the Milky Way, visible only in the Southern Hemisphere. That is impossible because Proxima Centauri, the 3rd star in Alpha Centauri, was not discovered until 1915, some 49 years after Bracken wrote his anthem.) Bracken was a freemason. Political career Vitally interested in current events and politics, Bracken stood for Parliament in the City of Dunedin electorate in the 1879 general election. He was unsuccessful at that time. However, Bracken won the Dunedin Central electorate at the 1881 general election. He lost the seat to James Bradshaw at the next general election but when Bradshaw died in 1886, Bracken won the 1886 by-election and resumed his seat until the end of the term in 1887, when he retired. Later career He later established Thomas Bracken & Co. with Alexander Bathgate to buy and operate the Evening Herald until it was superseded in 1890 by the liberal Globe. Like many multi-talented and successful writers, Bracken was not a prudent person and eventually became financially embarrassed. He became a bill reader in parliament, but was forced to leave Wellington and return to Dunedin when his health deteriorated. He died 16 February 1898, and is buried in the Dunedin Northern Cemetery. Recognition Bracken won the Otago Caledonian Society’s prize for poetry. A lookout near his grave, with views across the city, is named in Bracken's honor. Publications Poetry *''Paddy Murphy's Budget: a collection of humorous "pomes, tiligrams an' ipistols". Dunedin, NZ: Mackay, Bracken, 1880. *Lays of the Land of the Maori and Moa. London: Sampson Low, Marston, Searle, & Rivington, 1884. *The Haunted Vale: A legend of the Murray, and other poems and lyrics; Sandhurst, Berkshire, UK: J.K. Robshaw, 1867. The haunted vale. by Thomas Bracken. State Library of Victoria, State Government of Victoria. Web, July 12, 2013. Cambridge, UK: Chadwyck-Healey, 2000. *Musings in Maoriland. Dunedin, NZ: A.T. Kierle, 1890. *''God's Own Country, and other poems. Wellington, NZ: Brown, Thomson & Co., 1893. *''Not Understood, and other poems. Wellington, NZ: Richard Brown, 1905. Non-fiction *''Pulpit Pictures (biography). Dunedin, NZ: Coulls & Culling, 1876. *''The New Zealand Tourist. Dunedin, NZ: Mackay, Bracken, 1879; Dunedin, NZ: Union Steam Ship Co., 1889. *''The Triumph of Women's Rights: A prophetic vision. Auckland: W. McCullough, 1892? Juvenile *''God Defend New Zealand'' (illustrated by Nobby Clarke & Tim Plant). Auckland: Reed Children's Books, 1997. Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy WorldCat.Search results = au:Thomas Bracken, WorldCat, OCLC Online Computer Library Center Inc. Web, July 12, 2013. See also *List of New Zealand poets References Notes External links ;Poems *"God's Own Country" *Thomas Bracken at PoemHunter (5 poems). ;About *Bracken, Thomas (1843-1898) in the Dictionary of Australian Biography *Bracken, Thomas in An Encyclopedia of New Zealand, 1966 *Thomas Bracken in the Oxford Companion to New Zealand Literature *Thomas Bracken in the Catholic Encyclopedia *Thomas Bracken in NZ History Online *Death of Mr. Thomas Bracken, Tuapeka Times, 19 February 1898, at PapersPast *Not Understood - A Note on Thomas Bracken, New Zealand Railways Magazine, 1 November 1938. Category:1843 births Category:1898 deaths Category:New Zealand journalists Category:New Zealand poets Category:New Zealand political writers Category:Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives Category:National anthem writers Category:New Zealand people of Irish descent Category:People from County Monaghan Category:New Zealand MPs for Dunedin electorates Category:Burials at Dunedin Northern Cemetery Category:19th-century poets Category:Poets Category:English-language poets